Charles Hicks, a.k.a. Charizma was from the San Jose suburb of Milpitas, 16 years old when he hooked up with 19-year-old Chris Cut, the soon-to-be Peanut Butter Wolf. Fast forward three years or so, past a few demo tapes and a few shows. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf are now a solid team developing their own style and sound, one unlike much else in hip hop, and certainly unlike anything else ever to come from Milpitas. They landed themselves a record deal with the Disney-owned Hollywood Basics label and for the next year they’d both follow a strict regiment of making music all day long, taking breaks for pinball and apple juice. After recording about an album’s worth of material, the only thing released was a promo cassette of their song “Right Light Green Light.” The group got out of their deal with Hollywood Basics, and the label soon folded. As artists, Charizma and PB Wolf were still reaching new heights, but the music was soon cut short. Charizma was tragically killed in December 1993. Charizma didn’t live to see Stones Throw records but his influence is evident. The label’s first release was Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf’s “My World Premiere.” The belated full-length album Big Shots followed in 2003.